US issues travel advisory for citizens: Don’t visit J&K due to ‘terrorism’, don’t go near Pak border

The United States Saturday issued a travel warning for its citizens visiting India due to “terrorism and civil unrest” in the country. It also asked Americans not to go within 10 kilometres of the border with Pakistan “due to the potential for armed conflict.”

The level-2 travel alert comes in the wake of tensions between India and Pakistan, that escalated after the Jaish-e-Mohammad carried out a terrorist attack on a CRPF vehicle in Pulwama on February 14, killing 40 personnel.

White House bureau chief Steve Herman said on Twitter Saturday: “US issues Level 2 travel alert for #India — “exercise increased caution,” warning Americans to not visit most of Jammu and Kashmir due to “terrorism and civil unrest” and not go within 10 km of the border with #Pakistan “due to the potential for armed conflict.”

Asserting that some areas have increased risk, the US asked its citizens to exercise increased caution in India due to “crime and terrorism”. However, the country has made an exception for tourists visiting the eastern Ladakh region and its capital Leh.

US issues Level 2 travel alert for #India — “exercise increased caution,” warning Americans to not visit most of Jammu and Kashmir due to “terrorism and civil unrest” and not go within 10 km of the border with #Pakistan “due to the potential for armed conflict.” pic.twitter.com/HdC29kYTDk

— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) March 8, 2019

A Level 2 alert suggests ‘exercise increased caution’, Level 3 means ‘reconsider travel’. Level 1 advises travellers to exercise normal precaution, while Level 4 recommends “Do Not Travel”.

In February, just after the deadly Pulwama attack, the US had urged its citizens to reconsider their travel to Pakistan mainly due to terrorism and risks to civil aviation operating within or near the country. “Reconsider travel to Pakistan due to terrorism,” the State Department had said.

It had asked Americans not to travel to Balochistan province and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province, including the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), due to terrorism, and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir area due to terrorism and the potential for armed conflict.